Thirty-five years ago this month, in September 1982, I arrived at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons to open my virology laboratory. I brought with me an infectious DNA copy of the poliovirus RNA genome, the first of its kind, and a lot of enthusiasm. Over the years we used this infectious DNA to …
Wired Magazine recently published an article with a headline distinctly opposite of mine, which claims that the traditional lecture is dead. I disagree, and here is why. The thesis of the article, by Rhett Allain, is that modern technologies have made the traditional lecture obsolete. The traditional lecture is one during which a teacher stands at the front …
The Traditional Lecture is Not Dead. I Would Know – I’m A Professor Read More »
Every year I teach a virology course to undergraduates and masters students at Columbia University. I record video and audio of each of the twenty-five lectures and release them on YouTube – so that not only the students but the rest of the world can learn about the amazing field of virology. With the spring …
If you want to understand life on Earth, you need to know about viruses. We have reached the halfway point in my 2016 Columbia University undergraduate virology course. So far we have learned the basics of virus replication: how viruses enter cells, how the genome is reproduced, and how proteins are made and assembled into new …
Do you want to learn virology? Every spring I teach a virology course at Columbia University, and this year’s version has just started. I record every lecture and put the videos on YouTube. Here is a link to the playlist: Virology Lectures 2016. Lecture #1, What is a Virus, is embedded below as a teaser. I strongly believe …
It is the first week in May, which means that the spring semester has just ended at Columbia University, and my annual virology course is over. Each year I teach an introductory undergraduate virology course that is organized around basic principles, including how virus particles are built, how they replicate, how they cause disease, and how to prevent …
